A strong environment as the basis for Europe's future economyhttp://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/a-strong-environment-as-the
Europe selected its new policy makers. They will need to address not only today's challenges but also set in motion policies that will affect Europeans well beyond their five-year mandate. What do they need to do today to make sure that Europeans live well in the future? By taking action at the EU level and tackling environment and climate issues, EU policy makers can actually revive the economy and guarantee our long-term well-being.Our economy, quality of life and health all depend on a healthy environment and a stable climate. To this end, the European Union and its Member States have adopted an extensive set of environmental legislation. Some of the results are very positive and encouraging: concentrations of a number of air pollutants decreased significantly, greenhouse gas emissions went down despite economic growth. Other results are more mixed, and much still remains to be addressed both in the EU and globally.

Environment does not stop at borders

Many of the environmental problems we observe today can be linked to the way we use resources in Europe and globally. And climate change often exerts additional pressure. Even in the case of a localised summer ozone episode, the affected area might be only partly responsible. Pollutants might have been released in another country, or even another continent, while producing consumer goods for export to meet the global demand. Certain climatic conditions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, which then affect our health and the environment. Healthy life years are lost, medical costs go up, agricultural yields suffer…

It is also clear that air pollution or pollution in rivers can hardly be tackled by one country. Chemicals released upstream pursue their journey downstream, affecting the people and the economy along their way. Floods affect European river basins stretching over several countries.

Given the cross-border nature of environment and climate, the most effective solutions are the ones built on a strong guidance at EU level with clear targets and measures, and well-established institutions and instruments that stimulate cooperation. A clear policy vision outlined by EU policy makers and implemented by Member States does not only improve Europe’s environment, but often also enables the EU to inspire other countries and to have a greater impact globally on environment and climate issues.

But tackling environment and climate problems can also strengthen our economy.

Focusing on Europe’s highly skilled work force

Our economic recovery from the 2008 downturn is still very frail. Although some might perceive climate and environmental concerns and legislation as obstacles to recovery, they actually provide us an opportunity to address structural weaknesses inherent in our economy and boost competitiveness.

We need to acknowledge where our strengths are. And Europe’s economic strength does not lie in low labour costs or access to abundant and cheap natural resources. On the contrary, Europe has a highly skilled workforce and its economy relies on importing raw materials from the rest of the world. For some sectors such as energy, our dependence on imports risks severely undermining the economy.

In this context, our economic model needs to focus on our strengths while compensating for our weaknesses. In other words, investing in eco-innovation and new technologies can facilitate our transition to a green economy, reap the benefits of first-mover advantage and create jobs that cannot easily be relocated. For instance, energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors would create engineering jobs not only for start-up and operational phases, but also for maintenance.

Improving quality of life

We do not have to live in cities with high levels of air pollution or traffic jams. We can build cities that offer a good quality of life to their residents, clean air, green spaces, sustainable and easily accessible public transport systems, offices and homes built with latest energy-efficiency technologies.

This requires integrating the ‘green economy thinking’ into all our policies and measures from urban planning, green infrastructure, transport and energy infrastructure, agriculture, waste management, product design, to education and research. A transition to green economy is the only viable way to ensure our long-term well-being and EU policy makers are in a unique position to guide and facilitate this transition.

Knowledge supports policy making

Our role at the European Environment Agency is to contribute to the knowledge base needed for supporting policy making in Europe. We work very closely with our partners in the European Environmental Information and Observation Network (Eionet) from 39 European countries. We bring together data and knowledge at all levels, assess the state of the environment and the trends affecting it. We look into a wide range of environmental topics, including transport, energy, natural capital, resource efficiency, waste, biodiversity, climate vulnerability, environmental taxes, urban systems and land use.

We hope that our knowledge base, including our upcoming assessment ‘European State of the Environment and Outlook Report 2015’ (SOER2015), will assist policy makers across Europe to make choices that improve our economy, protect and strengthen ecosystems and for a solid basis for the well-being of European citizens.

]]>No publishereurope 2020transitionsgreen economyenvironmental policy2014/09/12 14:25:00 GMT+1ArticleCorrelation between the average country level Water Use Intensity (WUI) and the % of area irrigated with surface irrigation systemshttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/daviz/correlation-between-the-average-country
No publisherwaterirrigationgreen economycropswater efficiencywater intesityagriculture2014/09/11 09:20:00 GMT+1Data VisualizationWUI for sugarbeet across European NUTS2 areashttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/wui-in-m3-20ac-pps
The map shows the volume of irrigated water used (in m³) for sugarbeet per production value at producer price (values at current prices) in € PPS among different countries in Europe at NUTS2 level.
In cases where NUTS2 level data was not available the map shows the result in country level.No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).water efficiencyirrigationgreen economycropswaterwater intensityagriculture2014/09/11 08:55:00 GMT+1FigureWater Use Intensity (WUI) for maize (green and grain) across European NUTS2 areashttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/wui-for-maize-green-and
The map shows the volume of irrigated water used (in m³) for maize (green and grain) per production value at producer price (values at current prices) in € PPS among different countries in Europe at NUTS2 level.
In cases where NUTS2 level data was not available the map shows the result in country level.No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).water efficiencyirrigationgreen economycropswaterwater intensityagriculture2014/09/11 08:55:00 GMT+1FigureWater Use Intensity (WUI) for cereals (excl. maize and rice) across European NUTS2 areashttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/wui-for-cereals-excl-maize
The map shows the volume of irrigated water used (in m³) for cereals (excl. maize and rice) per production value at producer price (values at current prices) in € PPS among different countries in Europe at NUTS2 level.
In cases where NUTS2 level data was not available the map shows the result in country level.No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).water efficiencyirrigationgreen economycropswaterwater intensityagriculture2014/09/11 08:55:00 GMT+1FigureWUI for potatoes across European NUTS2 areashttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/wui-for-potatoes-across-european
The map shows the volume of irrigated water used (in m³) for potatoes per production value at producer price (values at current prices) in € PPS among different countries in Europe at NUTS2 level.
In cases where NUTS2 level data was not available the map shows the result in country level.No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).water efficiencyirrigationgreen economycropswaterwater intensityagriculture2014/09/11 08:55:00 GMT+1FigureWater Use Intensity (WUI) for citrus across Southern European NUTS2 areashttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/wui-for-citrus-across-southern
The map shows the volume of irrigated water used (in m³) for citrus per production value at producer price (values at current prices) in € PPS among different countries in Europe at NUTS2 level.
In cases where NUTS2 level data was not available the map shows the result in country level.No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).water efficiencyirrigationgreen economycropswaterwater intensityagriculture2014/09/11 08:55:00 GMT+1FigureResource‑efficient green economy and EU policieshttp://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/resourceefficient-green-economy-and-eu
This report highlights the major forces fostering the shift to a resource-efficient green economy in Europe, including the role of EU policies. Currently, the economic and technological changes leading towards green economy objectives across the EU economy are proceeding too slowly; what is required is a much bigger, deeper, and more permanent change in the EU economy and society to create both new opportunities and substitution processes across the economic structure. To bring this about, it is important to study and understand enabling factors and mechanisms at the crossroads of policies and real economy dynamics that could accelerate and direct the transformation.No publisherresource efficiencygreen economyeu policy2014/07/15 11:00:00 GMT+1PublicationThe 'green economy' can encourage jobs and innovation - studyhttp://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/the-2018green-economy2019-can-encourage
Europe can create jobs and encourage innovation by using resources much more efficiently, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) which describes a range of policies with proven environmental and economic benefits. 'Resource-efficient green economy and EU policies' considers how European economies can drive more efficient material resource use as part of the transition towards a 'green economy', a recently stated aim of the EU.

While many environmental trends are gradually improving, the EU needs a more fundamental, systemic re-orientation of its economy if is to meet some of its long-term environmental objectives, the report states. For example, the proposed EU target to cut greenhouse gases by 80-95 % of 1990 levels by 2050 will not be possible by solely relying on incremental efficiency gains.

"Innovation may be the single most important driver to change the inefficient way we currently use resources," EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx said. "Environmental innovation is key to address the challenges of the 21st Century. If we want to 'live well within the ecological limits of the planet' as stated in the 7th Environmental Action Programme, we will need to rely heavily on Europe's inventiveness. This is not just about new inventions – encouraging the uptake and diffusion of new green technologies may be even more important."

Another lever for improving resource efficiency could be to reduce labour taxes such as income tax, instead taxing inefficient resource use and environmental pollution. Such environmental taxes could encourage job creation but are under-used in the EU, equivalent to only 2.4 % of GDP in 2012. There may be multiple benefits - countries with the highest environmental taxes also seem to rank very highly for eco-innovations and competitiveness.

Strong environmental regulation can give the EU a competitive advantage as an early adopter, the report argues. Other regions which want to import products into the EU are gradually adopting European norms such as vehicle emissions standards or chemical controls.

The EU aims to increase the share of manufacturing to 20 % of GDP by 2020, from 15.1 % in 2013. This could be an opportunity to boost environmentally-beneficial innovation in areas such as renewable energy, according to the report authors. However, they warn that such growth must be consistent with EU environmental priorities, otherwise it could have negative consequences including increasing greenhouse gas emissions and wasting valuable resources.

The economic crisis and environmental efforts

The economic crisis seems to have had an effect on some environmental issues in the EU, including partially reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and some air pollutants. Nonetheless, in most areas Europe seems to be on a similar trajectory as it was before 2008, continuing long term trends; in some other cases the crisis seems to have slowed progress.

Following the 2008 financial and economic crisis there were some expectations that additional public investment could encourage more efficient resource use in Europe. However, indicator trends suggest that these efficiency gains have not occurred.

]]>No publisherfinancial crisisgreen economyindustryenvironmental tax reformenvironmental taxesfiscal policymanufacturing2014/07/14 15:55:00 GMT+1Press ReleaseEU policies deliver greenhouse gas emission reductionshttp://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/eu-policies-deliver-greenhouse-gas
The European Union has been reducing its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990. The EU has ‘over-achieved’ its Kyoto target for the period 2008–2012 and is projected to ‘over-achieve’ its 2020 targets. Can we reduce GHG emissions and have a strong economy at the same time? What was the impact of the recent recession on the EU’s GHG emissions? Does policy work?Since the beginning of global negotiations, both the European Union collectively and the Member States have been committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in order to mitigate climate change. In 2002, the EU and its 15 Member States at that time ratified the Kyoto Protocol, thereby committing to national targets as well as a joint target of collectively reducing the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions for the first commitment period 2008-2012 by 8 % compared to the 1990 levels. Currently, the EU-28 has committed to cutting by 2020 its emissions to 20% below 1990 levels.

We have recently provided the official GHG emission data for 2012 to the UN. The results are clear. In 2012, the EU’s average emissions stood 19.2 % below 1990 levels. The EU has not only achieved its commitments, it has actually succeeded in reducing its emissions much further. Moreover, this steady downward trend is expected to continue in the second commitment period 2013-2020.

Economic growth vs emissions

Although economic growth has often been associated with an increase in GHG emissions, it does not always have to be the case. Investing in energy efficiency measures and switching to less carbon-intensive fuels for example might result in both economic growth and lower emissions.

The EU figures actually show that it is possible to break the link between economic growth and GHG emissions. Between 1990 and 2012, the EU economy grew by 45% (in GDP) while GHG emissions were reduced by 19%. In this period, the emission intensity of the EU economy, as well as the national economies, also decreased. In other words, EU countries managed to produce more output and/or value (GDP) while releasing smaller amounts of GHG per output/value. We can clearly see that emission intensities per GDP decreased in all EU countries and are converging.

These structural improvements were also reflected in emissions per capita. Although the EU population increased in this period, GHG emissions per capita decreased by 24 %.

Recession only one among several factors

In 2008, the EU economy started feeling the impact of the global recession. This has certainly affected economic output in Europe, and subsequently GHG emissions. Between 2008 and 2012, the EU economy contracted by 1.4%, but GHG emissions were reduced even more – by 9.2%. Moreover, the dip linked to recession has not altered the long-term downward trend. The EU is reducing its GHG emissions steadily.

According to our analyses, economic recession can explain only between 30 and 50% of the GHG reductions in this period.

Investing in renewables pays off

Other factors can explain the remaining part. They include, as mentioned above, a structural improvement of the EU economy towards a production system generating lower emissions per output and an increasing share of renewable energy in the energy mix. Renewables are meeting a greater share of Europe’s energy demand, which, in turn, boosts the EU’s climate mitigation efforts. Such structural changes have been ushered and facilitated by a series of EU legislation linked to climate and energy policies.

Effective implementation delivers further reductions

The implementation at national level of the 2009 climate and energy package is expected to significantly reduce emissions further. Potential savings from industrial emissions covered by the EU Emissions Trading System as well as emissions from other sectors covered by the Effort Sharing Decision are immense.

Looking at the progress we have achieved since 1990, a long-term policy vision at EU level and a series of measures around energy efficiency, climate mitigation and renewables certainly seems to work. Looking forward, it is clear that our future gains will depend on how well we implement the policies and the measures at hand and in mind.

]]>No publishergreenhouse gas inventorygreenhouse gas emissionskyoto targetsclimate change mitigationkyoto protocolgreen economy2014/06/13 15:10:00 GMT+1ArticleWhy did GHG emissions decrease in the EU between 1990 and 2012?http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/why-are-greenhouse-gases-decreasing
This paper briefly analyses the major factors that accounted for decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions excluding land use, land use changes and forestry (LULUCF) in the EU-28 between 1990 and 2012. The paper commences with an overview of EU trends, followed by summaries of the contributions of individual Member States, greenhouse gas types, and main sectors.No publisherghg emissionsgreen economy2014/06/03 11:00:00 GMT+1PublicationSignals 2014: Our well-being depends on a resource-efficient, circular economyhttp://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/signals-2014-our-well-being
How do we create a performing economy that creates jobs and ensures our well-being, yet respects the limits of our planet? This question is considered in the latest edition of Signals, an annual publication from the European Environment Agency (EEA).The latest edition of Signals published today looks at the environmental effects of our current consumption and production system. It shows how we often extract limited resources faster than the planet can produce them, turn them into products using environmentally harmful processes and then discard these products after a limited period of use.

Our consumption has a significant environmental impact:

Europeans used almost 16 tonnes of materials per capita in 2011. This varies across Europe, with Finns using around 30 tonnes of resources per year while the average Maltese citizen only consumed five tonnes.

Consumption habits are changing – for example Europeans eat twice as much meat as they did 50 years ago, which increases demand for land and other resources.

Europeans generated 4.5 tonnes of waste per capita in 2010.

Approximately a third of food is wasted in the EU. Of this waste, approximately two fifths is wasted during the manufacturing process and another two fifths are discarded in homes.

The publication also includes many solutions which could 'green' the economy. Better consumer choices, more recycling and even improvements in town planning can help, according to some of the experts interviewed in Signals. Together, these ideas could effectively create a 'circular economy', where waste becomes a resource to be reused.

The publication is illustrated with pictures and cartoons from Waste•smART, a recent EEA competition on the theme of waste. It also includes several fascinating infographics. Over the coming months it will be made available in more than 25 European languages.

Green Week 2014

Signals will be launched today at Green Week, the annual European Union policy conference. Like Signals, the theme of this year's conference is also transforming the economy. The EEA will take part in many different discussions, on topics ranging from new business models to the way communication can help make a transition towards a green economy. For more details of EEA events at Green Week, see the events pages.

]]>No publishermaterial usegreen economycircular economyrecyclingwasteeconomy2014/06/03 10:00:00 GMT+1NewsEEA Signals 2014 – Well-being and the environmenthttp://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/signals-2014
Building a resource-efficient and circular economy in Europe: We are extracting and using more resources than our planet can produce in a given time. Current consumption and production levels are not sustainable and risk weakening our planet’s ability to provide for us. We need to reshape our production and consumption systems to enable us to produce the same amount of output with less resource, to re‑use, recover and recycle more, and to reduce the amount of waste we generate.No publishergreen economyresource efficiencysignals2014well-being2014/06/02 18:55:00 GMT+1PublicationProgress on resource efficiency and decoupling in the EU‑27http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/progress-on-resource-efficiency-and
Messages emerging from environmentally extended input‑output analysis
with relevance to the Resource Efficiency Roadmap and the 7EAPNo publisherglobal pressuresmaterial usedecouplinggreen economyinput-output analysisenvironmental accountsnamearesource efficiency roadmapintermediate demandeconomic sectorsdecomposition analysisemissions from productionfinal demandresource efficiency7th environmental action programme2014/06/02 11:10:00 GMT+1PublicationTowards better tools for decision-making – EEA indicators and accountshttp://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/towards-better-tools-for-decision
Effective environmental policy should be based on robust information on trends. The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published two reports today which demonstrate how indicators and environmental accounting support policy and decision making.The 7th Environmental Action Programme sets out European Union environmental policy objectives for coming years. Implementing this programme will require improved knowledge, including a more detailed understanding of the interplay between economic, social and environmental factors in the transition to an inclusive green economy. Indicators and environmental accounting are important tools in improving this understanding.

Environmental indicators are generally quantitative measures used to illustrate and communicate complex phenomena and trends in a simple way. The 'Digest of EEA indicators 2014' is a reference document, placing EEA indicators in the context of the wider landscape of European environmental indicators and contributions from organisations such as the OECD and Eurostat.

The report highlights the way that indicators can provide insights on progress towards environmental priorities. It gives special attention to emerging policy demands on systemic challenges such as climate change impacts, resource efficiency and ecosystem resilience. In summary, this report explains "what we have, why we have it and how it can be used".

Combining environmental and economic indicators and accounts has gained prominence in recent years, through a number of national and EU-funded European studies. 'Progress on resource efficiency and decoupling in the EU-27' demonstrates how the global environmental impact of production and consumption in the EU can be explored using environmental accounting methods. Drawing on Eurostat data for 2000-2007, and referring to specific policy goals objectives in the EU environmental legislation, the report demonstrates how "input/output-based analysis" can support policy makers in their decisions and choices.